Beer is the world's oldest alcoholic beverage, and was one of the first drinks ever produced by human beings. It is estimated that it may date back to as early as 6000 BC, and it is mentioned in the recorded history of the most ancient human civilizations, including that of Sumeria, Mesopotamia, and ancient Egypt.
Since beer can occur naturally, through the fermentation of any substance containing carbohydrates, the beverage was probably discovered before it was invented. This also means that the secret of producing it was probably learned in many different locations, independent of one another. The earliest archaeological evidence for the consumption of beer that we have is from chemical remains dating back to about 3500 BC.
Some archaeologists have theorized that civilization was developed, to give people the tools necessary to produce beer on a large scale, for entire populations.
We know that the production and consumption of beer in Europe dates back as far as 3000 BC, carried by Germanic and Celtic Tribes.
Early forms of beer would not be recognizable by today's standards because they did not contain hops, and were often made from a variety of fruits, honeys, and various plants and spices. Many beers were also made using various hallucinogenic and narcotic substances found growing in local areas.
The first mention of the use of hops comes from a Carolingian Abbot in the year 822 AD, although it certainly could have been in use before that time. The use of hops in beer production was also mentioned later by writings of the Abbess Hildegard of Bingen.
Most pre industrial beer was produced on a domestic scale, town by town, or household by household. However in Europe during the Middle Ages monasteries did start to produce the beverage on a larger scale.
The industrial revolution changed the way that beer was made, turning it into a large scale business. This would eventually put an end to most significant domestic and small scale production, in favor of mass produced corporate beverages manufactured in factories and exported worldwide.
Today beer is produced in countries around the world. While there are several larger companies that dominate the market, there are also a wide variety of smaller niche brewing businesses that range the gamut in size and product. There are also a wealth of small individual pub breweries and cottage industry manufacturers.
This article was written by Joey Pebble, on behalf of his line of naturally absorbent stone beer coasters
These natural kitchen accessories are made from a variety of different stone materials including sandstone, slate, marble, quartz, onyx, and limestone. This coaster collection includes both natural coasters, with multicolored features, and painted natural stone pieces, with unique designs, crafted by artists and designers
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